New Footprints on Old Parchment
by LittleAnimagus
Summary: Everyone thought Albus was the quiet one. But when he teams up with Scorpius Malfoy, Lorcan Scamander and Sean Wood, they take the medal from Fred & George and even the last set of Marauders. This is their first year at Hogwarts. Rating: K-PLUS
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise is not mine… that's pretty much everything. It's JK's.

This is my first fanfic so bear with me. I'll try to update as much as possible but I can only do it as often as the ink spills on the pad.

Many thanks to my Beta **aimz666**, Check out her stuff ;)

**-New Footprints on Old Parchment-**

**Chapter 1 – Sleeping Beauty and Brilliant Company**

Two sandy-haired boys tugged their trunks across the platform until they were between Platform 9 and Platform 10. One of the boys was clearly struggling with his trunk; the other was managing just fine. Lookers-on would assume the two to be twins due to their identical features and the lack of two sets of parents. The boys' mother was recognised by a couple of other parents, that she'd attended Hogwarts with, as Luna Lovegood. Her letters were now addressed to a Luna Scamander since she'd married Rolf Scamander many years ago.

"Sandy, do you want a hand with your trunk?" their father asked, noticing his one son struggling with his trunk. The boy, whose Christian name was Lysander (Sandy being his family name), politely declined the offer, not wanting to appear weak next to his brother. Nevertheless he did seem visibly relieved when they came to a halt at the barrier between the two platforms. They passed through the barrier and onto to Platform 9¾ where the Hogwarts Express waited. Lorcan, which was the other boy's name, and Lysander had never asked about the scarlet train but they were taken aback when they set their sights on it. It stood majestically in the station and some might have found it quite intimidating in truth. Both of the boys' mouths gaped open in awe of the steam-engine before them.

"Wow." Lorcan thought aloud. Realising he'd said this, he blushed slightly. His mother smiled remembering when she first stepped onto this platform. They pressed onwards towards the train, their father helping them both lift their trunks on board before their prolonged goodbyes.

"Look after each other! Make sure to beware, it's Nargle breeding season" Luna reminded them both. Lysander and Lorcan chorused an agreement as they had so many times since they received their letters.

"And, don't forget to write. Once-a-week?" their father told them rather than asked them. They agreed. Lysander was being more enthusiastic than Lorcan. A few more people got onto the platform and the twins realised they were blocking an entrance to the train. They weren't going to keep them waiting because they looked like seventh years and they were, mostly, Slytherins. This was the house neither boy wanted to end up in. They'd both decided that they wanted to end up in either Ravenclaw, which was their mother's house, or Gryffindor. They didn't loathe Hufflepuff and wouldn't really mind being in that house. It's just that everyone made it out to be a house for nobodies.

"We've got to go now, we're blocking the entrance." Lorcan spoke for both of them awkwardly. Before they got on the train, they said their final goodbyes and shared concluding hugs.

Now on the train, they held a short hunt for an empty compartment. Thankfully, due to them being there so early, they found one pretty quickly. It was near the back of the train because a lot of the older students were at the front and lots of Slytherins were in the middle. They helped each other store their trunks in the overhead compartment and sat down. Lorcan found the seat to be more comfortable than he'd expected it to be. He could make himself at home here for the next few hours. His brother had obviously made himself too at home because he was already in dreamland. Lorcan sighed and thought to himself; _Brilliant Company_. Perhaps this journey would be longer than he'd anticipated.

The platform was getting more crowded now. Lorcan tried to pick out any new first years. He saw girl he guessed might be a first year. She had very short brown hair and what he thought were hazel eyes. The window above was open and he caught the girls' mother telling her to write home as often as possible and to behave herself. The girl, who Lorcan learnt was called Kate, mumbled something in reply that Lorcan didn't quite catch. He watched her climb aboard and scanned the platform for another first year. This was becoming a more difficult task as the platform was filling up now. He looked at his watch; 10:45am. Fifteen minutes until he'd be on his way. He looked back out to the platform just in time to see a boy with dark short hair step onto the platform followed by his father. Lorcan looked on as the boys' father was greeted by many people. On a second look, Lorcan realised that the boy's father was in fact Oliver Wood, the Keeper at Puddlesmere United and previous captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. He wanted to go and see him but thought better of leaving his brother alone. Wood's son seemed to want his father to hurry and so he tugged at his father's hand persistently. This boy, Lorcan felt sure, was a first year.

Sean was used to this. His father was often spotted in the Wizarding World. He just wished that when there was only fifteen minutes until the train was leaving that he could hurry up. He managed to get his father to make haste. They got near to the train before saying goodbyes.

"Don't fret about the Sorting." Wood began, "I'll be proud of whichever house you're in and you'll do great in any house." Sean nodded along seemingly not digesting much of what his father was saying. He was listening though.

"And you'll remember to write?" Sean's father reminded him.

"Every week" Sean grinned.

"And remember, first years very rarely make the Quidditch team. So, don't expect it!" Oliver Wood thought he should mention this knowing his sons love for the sport. Sean had been playing it properly since he was six. He'd had with first broom when he was only one! It was only a toy broom but it still counts, right? He used to zoom around on it about a foot from the floor or so his father told him. Personally, he couldn't remember, as most people can't, much about being one year old.

"And, behave yourself?"

"Of course – when do I ever misbehave?"

"Okay" Oliver paused, "Come and give your father a hug?"

Sean found himself wrapped up in his father's arms not remembering agreeing to it. He would have agreed though. He would miss his father while he was away he thought. People told him that no one really got homesick because Hogwarts felt like home. Sean still thought he would miss home. The hug had now become awkwardly long. Finally, his father released him and told him to run along. He helped him get his trunk on the train and then moved away to the back out of the platform. Sean pulled his trunk along the corridor, trying to find a relatively empty compartment with first years inside. He also didn't fancy sitting in with a group of Slytherins-to-be. After a long and awkward walk down the train corridor, he stumbled across a compartment with two sandy-haired boys inside. Peering in, he realised that one was asleep and one looked incredibly bored but most importantly; they were first years. He couldn't believe his luck so he slid open the compartment door.

"Is this seat taken?" Sean asked cautiously.

"Not at all" the boy replied. Sean put his trunk in the overhead storage and sat down next to the sleeping boy and opposite the other.

"I'm Sean by the way. Sean Wood." he started a conversation and stuck his hand out for the boy to shake.

"I'm Lorcan Scamander" the boy said as he shook Sean's hand.

"And who's sleeping beauty?" Sean asked with a cheeky grin.

Lorcan grinned too, "He's my brother; Lysander."

"You both have awesome names." Sean said, "So, I assume you're both first years like me?"

"Yeah, we are."

A boy with messy black hair stepped onto the platform. He was followed immediately by a younger boy with straight and tame black hair, who had bright green eyes and was pretty pale. He was struggling slightly his trunk but wasn't about to give up. The two boys were followed by their parents and younger sister. They re-grouped quickly and shuffled away from the wall they'd just come through so they didn't hinder anybody's entrance.

"You're gonna be a Slytherin. I just know it." The older boy teased his brother. This seemed to make the younger boy worry. Their mother started talking to their oldest son to put a stop to the teasing. Meanwhile, their father spoke to the younger one.

"What if I'm a Slytherin?" the younger boy cut in before he father could say a word.

"Albus Severus Potter." Harry started, "You were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was the bravest man I ever knew."

"But say I'm-"

"Then Slytherin will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

"Really?"

"It did for me." Harry finished.

Albus' worries appeared to subside as his curiosity about the Sorting crept in. Would the Sorting Hat really take his decision into account? Albus noticed that his brother had already got on the train. He would have to hurry up.

"Will you write?" Albus returned to his parents.

"Of course, every week" Ginny (his mother) said. Harry nodded too. Albus looked around, searching for first years. He heard his mother ranting about James getting on the train without saying goodbye properly. She'd wanted to give him something for Neville. It had been his birthday over the summer and they hadn't been able to see him. Albus was about to get on the train.

"Albus, Wait!" Ginny called. She gave him a small box wrapped perfectly. "Give this to Neville when you see him and send him our love."

Albus reluctantly agreed. What would his housemates think of him sending a professor love? Brilliant. This would be an exciting year for him.

"Come on, Al" Harry said, seizing his trunk and lifting it onto the train. Ginny gave him a kiss goodbye and his father gave him a hug.

"Tell your brother not to blow up the Slytherin Common Room?" Harry whispered during their hug. Albus grinned and nodded and he climbed on the train not to return until the Christmas break.

He scurried through the corridor with his trunk lagging behind him. He wanted to find a compartment with as few people in as possible. He passed compartments full of seventh years or Slytherins or girls but not a single compartment he could sit in. Just as he was about to lose all hope and return to a compartment with first year-looking girls in, he found a compartment with three people in. There was a boy with short dark hair, a sandy-haired boy and another sandy-haired boy, who was asleep. This was it. He slid open the compartment door.

"Umm, do you mind?" Albus asked gingerly. He was greeted with smiles.

"Sure" one boy responded. The other boy nodded enthusiastically. Albus put his trunk away and sat down.

"Hello. I'm Lorcan Scamander." Lorcan thrust out his hand for Albus to shake.

"I'm Albus Potter." He said as he took the boys hand, "What's your name?"

"Sean Wood." Sean responded and they shook hands too.

"Sleepy is called Lysander" Lorcan added. Albus gestured a sort of thank you for not making him ask and turned the topic to his relief at finding this compartment.

"I feel the same." Sean added. Then Lorcan explained that he was here almost forty minutes early and that he'd been bored out of his mind before Sean came along because his brother had fallen asleep.

Albus decided that these boys were friendly enough and he felt his worries about the Sorting and everything else slipping away. He sensed Sean was agitated. Sean wanted to see what the others thought about Quidditch. It was his favourite sport after all. He decided he would wait until the train left. They wouldn't want to be stuck for conversation half way through the journey. Although he doubted they would be, what with the excitement of going to Hogwarts.

The next Malfoy instalment stepped onto the platform followed by his parents; Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. Scorpius had the same white blonde hair that his father had at eleven and the same sharp features of other Malfoys. These similarities lead people to believe he had a similar attitude to a young Draco Malfoy and his grandfather; Lucius. Scorpius loathed this judgement. From a young age, his grandfather has vented to him about how Slytherin is the only house for a Malfoy and how he would disown him if he was sorted as a Gryffindor. This actually made him despise the house. He actually thought he wanted to be a Gryffindor.

"Remember that I don't care what house you're sorted into. That's just your old-fashioned grandfather. If you're a Gryffindor then Gryffindor have acquired a brilliant student." Draco knelt down to inform Scorpius.

"Promise to write to us?" Astoria said. Scorpius nodded. He'd promised so many times now. He said he would write every week and right after the Sorting. Scorpius noticed his father speaking to another parent. He assumed that they must've gone to school together. The man had jet black hair and bright green eyes. He had a few grey hairs here and there in truth and he was pale. He looked around and noticed another family. They were a family of three and it appeared to be the girls first year too. The girl had long red hair like her father and, from a distance, what appeared to be blue eyes. However, he couldn't be sure. The girls' father knelt down and spoke to her. Scorpius noticed that they both looked over at him before the girls' mother appeared to tell her husband off. Scorpius started to feel a bit awkward and just wanted to get onto the train now.

"You'll behave yourself too?" Draco asked, "I don't want you to wind on our doorstep tomorrow because you blew up a Common Room or something stupid."

"Of course" Scorpius replied quickly.

"Ok, let's get you on the train." Draco hurried them now knowing it was 10:55am. Astoria gave Scorpius a kiss goodbye while Draco heaved Scorpius' trunk onto the train. Scorpius walked over to the train and gave his father a hug.

"You'll do great" his father told him. With that, Scorpius escaped with his trunk onto the Hogwarts Express. He was looking for a suitable compartment. He wanted to find a not-too-full compartment with boys that look friendly enough. He struck gold when he was nearing the back of the train and when it was about to leave. It was a compartment with only four boys in it; one of them was asleep too. They were laughing together so they seemed like good company therfore he slid open the compartment door.

"Mind?" Scorpius started, "Everywhere else is full."

"No, come in."

"Yeah, the more the merrier"

Scorpius smiled and put his trunk away. He sat down next to a black haired boy by the compartment door and opposite a sandy-haired boy, who was currently catching some zzz's.

"I'm Albus, Albus Potter." The black haired boy told him. Scorpius and the boy shook hands.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy. What are you guys called?"

"I'm Sean Wood."

"Lorcan Scamander"

Scorpius shook hands with the two boys in turn and then gestured towards the sleeping boy.

"He's Lysander." Lorcan said as the train hissed with steam escaping the engines informing them that they'd be departing now. Scorpius and Albus waved to their parents out of the window as many students did. Sean and Lorcan's parents appeared to have left. Once the drama of their departure was over, Albus decided to start a conversation to eat up the silence. Soon the boys were all laughing away together as if they'd known each other for years.

**Thanks for reading. Please review, hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Still not mine, still JK's.

Thanks again to my beta – **aimz666**

**-New Footprints on Old Parchment-**

**Chapter 2 – Flavoured Games, Impressive Attempts and Sights to See**

After the four boys had made a significant amount of small talk, Sean decided he wanted a proper conversation. He contemplated bringing up Quidditch but then a thought occurred to him; _Why is a Malfoy sitting with us?_

"So Scorpius, you're a pure blood aren't you?" Sean acted on this thought.

"If you believe pure blood still exists, then yes." Scorpius replied but he obviously wasn't keen on Sean's choice of topic.

"Don't your lot believe you're better than us Half-Bloods and Muggle-Borns?"

"Some do. I don't believe it in the slightest. I'm not like the majority of my family." Scorpius snapped. This conversation ceased because Sean sensed that Scorpius was getting tetchy.

"What does everyone think about the houses and the Sorting?" Albus noticed the heat rising due to the previous conversation too and changed the topic swiftly.

Scorpius answered first, "I like the thought of being a Gryffindor or perhaps a Ravenclaw. I really don't want to be a Slytherin." He glanced over at Sean before adding, "As I said, I'm not like the majority of my family."

"I've got to be a Gryffindor. If I was a Slytherin, I would fly home and never come back." Sean continued. He obviously had very strong opinions on the two houses.

"I'm going to be a Gryffindor" Albus said confidently, "I hope. My father was a Gryffindor and so was my mother. My grandparents were Gryffindors too and so is my older brother. So I hope I'm one too."

"My mum was a Ravenclaw so I'd like to be a Ravenclaw but I'd also like to be a Gryffindor." Lorcan stated, "I don't fancy Hufflepuff or Slytherin although I don't have very strong opinions about any of the houses if I'm honest. I reckon Lysander will be a Ravenclaw. He spent all summer reading his textbooks. He says he really can't wait for Transfiguration."

"Have any of you done much reading over the summer?" Scorpius asked rather timidly.

"I read up on Defence Against the Dark Arts because my family is supposed to have a knack for that-"

"A knack?" Sean began ranting, "Your family is bloody brilliant at it! And I bet you'll be just as good. I would love to get that sort of talent in my genes."

"Anyway, I tried to read up on Herbology because the professor is one of our family friends but it put me to sleep. I hope Professor Longbottom can make it more exciting."

"Yeah, Herbology is boring. I didn't do any reading. I've been practicing Quidditch all summer. I'm hoping I'll get into the team but my dad says they rarely let first years in."

"I don't think Herbology is that bad but I'm can't wait for Flying either. I hope I'll be good at it because otherwise that would be a dream crushed." Lorcan explained, "I read a couple of things and practiced a few spells. Nothing too challenging."

"I read up on Potions. That's what I'm excited for. I can't wait to fly either but Potions is what I really want to do." Scorpius added.

"I practiced a few spells too with little success. However, I'm pretty good at this one spell. It's _Wingardium Leviosa_." Albus mentioned, "I'm very excited to fly too and Transfiguration is the other one. I'm not particularly excited for Astronomy though. Is that just me?"

"No, I'm not either." Scorpius replied.

"Nor me." Lorcan agreed.

"How could you possibly be excited for that?" Sean grinned.

"Lysander is" Lorcan added awkwardly as the sweet trolley came near their compartment. Lorcan, Scorpius and Sean made a dash for the door. However, Albus decided he should see if Lysander was hungry. He shook the boy's shoulders carefully.

"What?" the boy mumbled, "Oh, Umm. Who are you?"

"Albus Potter. I woke you to see if you were hungry? The sweet trolley is just outside." Albus replied. The boy got up slowly and stumbled towards the door. As Albus left, he saw Sean storm in cradling a ridiculous amount of sweets. Albus could have sworn he'd counted at least ten chocolate frogs. Sean was closely followed by Lorcan who was carrying a selection of different items such as Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and Pumpkin Pasties. Scorpius, however, had a much smaller share of food. Albus let Lysander buy first because he didn't what to buy. He was spoilt for choice. He saw Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Liquorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties and other confectionaries. He watched as Lysander brought two boxes of Every Flavour Beans, a few Chocolate Frogs and some Jelly Slugs. Albus finally decided he'd take the rest. There wasn't too much there but it still gave him the largest pile of sweets in comparison to the other boys. As he walked back into the compartment, Sean's eyes goggled at the sight of all the food.

"How much did you buy?" Sean asked in shock.

"Just the whole trolley" Albus grinned. The boys looked at him in shock and amazement, "I thought we could share?"

"Yes" the others chorused all playing to the beat of their own drum. They all scooped up their share of sweets and put in on the seat beside Lysander (they decided they could trust him not to scoff the lot).

"Ok, everyone take a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans." Scorpius suggested. Everyone did as he said and nodded.

"Ok" Sean said whilst grabbing the heaviest box.

"Ok, we'll take turns to have one and say the flavour. I'll go first then Lysander and then Albus. Then you Lorcan and then Sean." He said before picking out a red flavoured bean, "Ketchup" he finally stated with a look of disgust of his face – obviously he didn't like Ketchup.

It was Lysander's turn, "Apple" he stated with a relieved look on his face.

"I think that was Rotten Egg" Albus informed the others after pulling many disgusted faces. At many points he looked ready to be sick but he held it together. He almost managed to put Lorcan off having one himself.

"Toast flavoured." Lorcan said with a grin.

"Chocolate, yeah buddy!" Sean appeared pretty excited that he hadn't got something disgusting like Albus. They continued playing this until they all ran out of them. Albus had managed to get a Troll Bogey flavoured one whilst Scorpius achieved three Earwax flavoured beans in a row. Sean came across a rather strange silver bean that turned out to be Dirty Sock flavoured. Lysander managed to escape any nasty flavoured beans and had been accused of hiding the strange coloured ones by Lorcan. On the other hand, Lorcan must have achieved a record number of Vomit flavoured beans in his packs and was often close to being sick. The best thing they achieved was that they were all laughing together when someone got a Bogey flavoured one.

After they'd finished the Every Flavour Beans, they decided to attack the large supply of Chocolate Frogs. Lorcan and Lysander were not interested in the Cards and claimed that they had a full collection between them.

In the Chocolate Frogs they received a good number of cards including Godric Gryffindor, Harry Potter, Uric the Oddball, Albus Dumbledore, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin to name a few. They shared them out as people needed them with Scorpius pocketing the rest because he'd never started collecting. This came as quite a shock to both Sean and the twins but Albus appeared more understanding. He'd never really gotten into it; he just knew he had a couple floating around in a box at home. They picked at the rest of the sweets as they saw fit.

"Hey Albus, why don't you show us that spell you learnt. Was it 'windagrem levisar' or something?" Sean asked. Albus knew this boy hadn't done any reading just as he'd said.

"Ok, it's _Wingardium Leviosa_." Albus informed Sean. He set one of his newly acquired Chocolate Frog Cards on his knee. He took out his wand and practiced the wand movement he should use again. Then, he said the spell once more.

"_Wingardium Leviosa" _Albus attempted. It didn't work. He hadn't been focusing hard enough.

"Impressive" Scorpius smirked and the others chuckled a bit but it was all friendly.

"_Wingardium Leviosa" _Albus stated it a little louder whilst doing the 'swish and flick' he'd read about. This time it worked and the card began to float upwards in mid-air. The card had just so happened to be Salazar Slytherin. With the flick of his wrist, Albus sent the card flying out of the window and away from the train.

"That was awesome" Lorcan stated.

"They don't expect me to be able to do that right?" Sean added.

"I don't think so" Albus answered. He was pretty impressed with himself – that was the best control he'd had over the object he was using ever. He smiled knowing he wouldn't do too badly at Hogwarts. He hoped he could, in fact, be pretty good.

"Hey Albus, what's your wand made of?" Scorpius quizzed.

"Mine is Ivory with a Phoenix feather core, pliable and as you can see smooth." Albus explained, "And yours?"

"Mine is a fusion of Hawthorn and Olive with a Phoenix feather core, Rigid and bent shaft." Scorpius replied, "What about you Lorcan?"

"Umm… I think it's Almond with a Unicorn hair, Springy and I know it is smooth." Lorcan said uncertainly, "And you Lysander?"

"It's made of Cherry Tree, with a Unicorn Hair in the core, Swishy with a decorated shaft." Lysander replied, "Sean?"

"Oak, Unicorn hair core, springy and a spiralled shaft – it's pretty cool!" Sean finished, "So what do you think of Quidditch?"

""I love Quidditch, I'm glad you asked." Albus sat up enthusiastically, "I wanted to bring a broom but my dad wouldn't let me because first years aren't supposed to have them. At home, I have the new Nimbus 2004."

"I've never played Quidditch but it looks awesome. I'd love to be a beater." Lorcan added, "Is the Nimbus 2004 good?"

"One of the best" Scorpius added, "I have the Firebolt II, which isn't too shabby. I usually play Seeker."

"I play keeper like my dad." Sean chipped in, "and I've got the Firebolt III."

"How?" Scorpius asked in amazement.

"Puddlesmere United use them and my dad managed to get me one. They'll be on sale soon by the way" Sean was clearly enjoying this.

"Well, is it any good?" Albus asked.

"Al, why do you even need to ask? It's absolutely amazing. You should get one when they come out!"

Lysander was clearly not enjoying this conversation and appeared about to drift off again but before Scorpius could change the topic, Albus was already speaking.

"I play Chaser usually." Albus added, "My brother plays Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team."

"How old is he?" Sean asked.

"Third year"

"So what year did he make the team?" Scorpius asked.

"Last year. In his second year." Albus finished. Albus wondered how long the journey would continue for.

"How long until we get there do you think?" Lorcan asked as if reading Albus' mind.

"It can't be that long now." Sean replied although it wasn't the most helpful of replies. Lysander was daydreaming now and looking out of the window. Not that he was really daydreaming; it was more like night-dreaming based on what the boys could see outside the train. It was dark outside and had fallen dark quite a while ago. It couldn't be long now.

"I think we're almost there" Scorpius added and with that statement the train came grinding to a halt at Hogsmeade Station.

"We're here" Albus stated as if it wasn't obvious. As the train stopped, students filed out into the corridor and flowed out of the train.

"Firs' years! Firs' Years over 'ere" a strong man's voice boomed above the hustle and bustle of the crowded station. The five boys tried to locate the source of the sound.

"Over there" Lysander got their attention and pointed near the end of the platform. There stood a man of unimaginable height and size. He had a large bushy black beard and beetle black eyes. He was also holding a lantern up in the night so they could see him better. He stood at least two heads above even the tallest seventh year anyway so he was incredibly difficult to miss without the lantern. The five boys made their way through the crowd over to the mountain of a man on the edge of the platform. Once they'd got there, they got the first glimpse of their new classmates and housemates. Albus noticed his cousin, Rose, was there talking to a girl with short brown hair and brown eyes. There was a small boy with spikey ginger hair, who looked quite panicked, speaking with a brown-haired boy. Loran noticed the platform clearing out until there were only first years left on the platform. He saw the girl with short brown hair that he'd seen on Platform 9¾ again. He couldn't remember her name – was it Kate or something? Before he could notice anyone else or remember the girl's name, the man was shouting again.

"C'mon, follow me." The man bellowed and led the way. Albus, Scorpius, Lorcan, Lysander and Sean followed in the man's footprints.

"Are you Hagrid?" Albus caught up to the man.

"Why yer I am." Hagrid looked bewildered, "And who would you be?"

"Albus Potter" Albus said as he offered his hand for the man to shake. Hagrid looked rather shocked at the boys offer.

"Another Potter eh?" Hagrid chuckled, "Hasn't Hogwarts had its fair share – James and Lily, Harry, James and now you. And, that's only the Potter's I've met at the school!" Hagrid shook Albus' small hand. The first years, led by a man twice their heights, reached the lake where there were a number of small boats docked. Hagrid halted.

"Ok, get in then, no more than four to a boat." Hagrid spoke louder than he really intended to. Hagrid stepped into a boat of his own filling it all himself. Albus, Scorpius and Sean got into one boat with another boy they didn't know. Lorcan and Lysander hopped into another with Rose Weasley and the girl Lorcan thought was called Kate. Once everyone had got into a boat, Hagrid lifted an umbrella and pointed it into the night. At once all the boats started moving in the direction Hagrid had pointed, to the first year's amazement.

Sean let his jaw drop as the castle came into view. Albus gasped, Scorpius gasped and the other boy's jaw dropped too. They had seen pictures of the castle before and their parents had told them about it but it didn't compare with seeing it at this moment in time. The castle stood proudly with lights gleaming out of the windows. It looked magical. In truth, Hogwarts is magical but there was no other way to describe it. Lorcan let out a gasp as he pointed at it to get Lysander's attention. Other students pointed, gasped and looked on in astonishment too. They all wonderedwhat this year had in store for them now.

The boats docked at the edge of the lake and the new students came ashore with a new feeling in the pits of their stomach. They found themselves nervous about the inevitable Sorting that would take place in just a few minutes. Instead of following at Hagrids heels, they trailed behind him on the walk up to the castle. They quickly found themselves standing in an entrance made of marble, behind huge wooden doors, in the warmth of the castle. A man with dark hair appeared. He looked like he could be quite an entertaining teacher and the students seemed to relax around him.

"I've got the firs' years for yeh, Professor Longbottom." Hagrid spoke quieter than he had been.

"Thank you, I will take them now Hagrid." The man Hagrid had called Professor Longbottom spoke with authority. Hagrid turned without another word and left.

Only once Hagrid had vanished, Professor Longbottom welcomed them, "Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few minutes you will be sorted into your new house and join your new housemates at the appropriate table. I will return when they are ready for you."

With that he left through the door Hagrid had left through. A low hum established in the foyer of excited or nervous first years speculating about the Sorting Ceremony and their new house.

"Right, good luck to all of you." Sean said with a grin.

"We just put on a hat right?" Lysander asked.

"Yes, I've told you a million times." Lorcan complained to his brother.

"I heard the hat speaks" Scorpius added.

"Don't they call it the Sorting Hat?" Albus interjected before anyone could answer Scorpius. Suddenly, Professor Longbottom returned before them.

"Follow me." He said simply and everyone ambled after him. They were soon in the Great Hall walking in between two long tables where their new housemates were sitting. There were four long tables that they walked between with another heading the hall where the professors were sat. It appeared to them that there was no ceiling – it looked just like the night sky.

"It's enchanted. Dumbledore enchanted it to look like the night sky" Lysander informed them. Albus and Scorpius nodded thanking him. Everyone bundled at the end of the hall just before the steps that were between the student's tables and the professors table. There was a stool before them with an old and tattered hat resting on it. A few questioned this.

"When I call your name you will sit down and try on the Sorting Hat." Professor Longbottom enlightened them, "Once you are sorted, take your seat next to your new housemates."

He paused, "Andrews, Phillip." A boy with short black hair and brown eyes stepped forward timidly and took his place on the stool.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat bellowed almost before the hat had touched the boys head. The Hufflepuffs erupted into cheers and the boy knew which table to sit at. There had been lots of new Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws by the time it was Scorpius' turn to be sorted.

"Malfoy, Scorpius." Professor Longbottom said. Scorpius walked up to the hat nervously. He was the first out of his new friends to be sorted. He sat on the stool and Professor Longbottom placed the hat on his head.

"Truly remarkable. You're not like the rest of your family are you? You have ambition so there is some Slytherin in you but you don't want to be there do you? Nor would you be happy. The one place you will truly be happy is… GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat ranted. Scorpius smiled as the Gryffindor cheered. It had been a slow day for them. There had been only four new Gryffindors today with Scorpius becoming the fifth.

"Matthews, Holly" a girl with blonde hair in two bunches sat on the stool.

"It's going to be… HUFFLEPUFF." The Sorting Hat boomed. The girl scurried off as quickly as she could obviously not liking being in the limelight.

"Nott, Marcus"

"SLYTHERIN"

"Potter, Albus"

"Ahh, another Potter. I didn't have to wait long for you. Your brother was easy to sort into Gryffindor and I sense you want to go the same way. Slytherin would be good for you too though boy-" the Sorting Hat was taking its time.

_Please not Slytherin; _Albus thought furiously hoping it would get through to the hat.

"Not Slytherin? You're like your father Albus." The Sorting Hat chuckled, "In that case, it's got to be… GRYFFINDOR!" Albus jumped off the stool and joined his new housemates with a smile from ear to ear.

"Scamander, Lorcan"

"You're quite unlike your mother Lorcan. For you, it has to be GRYFFINDOR." The Sorting Hat bellowed. Lorcan skipped off to find his seat next to Albus and opposite Scorpius.

"Scamander, Lysander"

"RAVENCLAW" – Lysander joined his new housemates somewhat solemnly. He'd hoped he would join his brother in Gryffindor. He sat next to a boy with dirty blonde hair that he often had to flick out of his eyes. Lysander had to rack his brains for the boy's name. He thought it was Daniel. He asked if he could sit next to him and asked him if his name was Daniel. The boy said yes to both questions and Lysander sat down to watch the rest of the Sorting Ceremony.

"Simpson, Kate" Professor Longbottom's tone hadn't changed since he'd first spoken to the new students outside the hall. The girl with short brown hair walked forward confidently.

"GRYFFINDOR" the Hat shouted before it had even touched her head.

"Weasley, Rose"

"GRYFFINDOR"

"Wood, Sean" – Sean had been last standing at the bottom of the step and it soon had made him feel awkward. When the Professor said his name, he couldn't wait to get on the stool and get sorted into a house.

"No different to your father… GRYFFINDOR." The Sorting Hat finished his job for this year. Sean ambled towards the Gryffindor table, which had arisen in cheers for the last time of the Ceremony. Sean took a seat next to Scorpius and opposite Albus and Lorcan. Once the hall had fallen silent, a short plump woman rose from her seat, which was located in the centre of the professors table. This was Pomona Sprout, the Headmistress of Hogwarts since Minerva McGonagall had retired.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I'd like to take this time to give out some notices. As always the Forbidden Forrest is out of bounds to all students as the name suggests. Mr Filch has told me to inform you that there should be no magic in the corridors and that there is a list of banned items pinned on the noticeboard in each house common room. He says people who give them in within a week will not be punished. Also Madam Hooch has told me to mention that anyone interested in Quidditch try-outs is to speak with her as soon as possible." Pomona Sprout listed, "With that over with, let the feast begin." – As she spoke those words, the plates on the tables filled with ridiculous amounts of food.

Sean's eyes lit up and he piled a bit of everything near him onto his plate. Lorcan, who seemed to have his mind occupied on other things, didn't eat as much as the other boys anticipated he would. Albus and Scorpius assumed he was concerned about his brother being in a different house. Lorcan peered around Albus' head to see if Lysander was ok. Lysander, to his brother's shock was laughing with and chatting to four other boys – one had dirty blonde hair, another had long black hair, the boy to his left had very short red hair, the boy next to him had white blond hair which was slicked back and the last had spikey brown hair. Lorcan appeared relieved and piled a bit more on his plate. Albus, who hadn't eaten a proper meal since breakfast at 7:30am, had the largest food mountain on his plate. Scorpius, wasn't feeling as hungry as the others. He had some chicken and chips before trying a sausage and some potatoes.

"This is great" Sean shouted across the table to Lorcan, who agreed, nodding, "Hey, Albus have you got enough there?" Sean grinned.

"No, perhaps you could pass me that dish of chips?" Albus replied cheekily pointing at the large bowl of chips that could serve at least twenty, "You not feeling too hungry Scorpius?"

"No, it must've been all the sweets on the Hogwarts Express you know." Scorpius answered, "Good luck with your mountains though" he addressed the other three boys with a smile. The others smiled back accepting his challenge.

After some time had passed, the plates were cleared and refilled with various different desserts. Albus, who had barely managed to finish his meal, didn't touch the sweets. However, to his shock, Sean and Lorcan made room for a plate of sugary snacks too. Sean grabbed some profiteroles, biscuits and a slice of cheesecake. Lorcan helped himself to some ice-cream of various flavours. Much like the beans they'd had on the train, they did every flavour of ice-cream you could think of and the dishes seemed to be enchanted to keep it chilled. Lorcan had mostly vanilla with some chocolate and a mint flavour too. Whereas, Scorpius managed to pick at a couple of biscuits and some Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans while he was waiting for the others to finish. Finally, the students were dismissed.

"First years follow me" a Gryffindor prefect called. Once they'd all assembled he led them in the direction of the Common Room.

"Take notice of the way to the Common Room because you'll have to find it many times before you know your way around the castle. Also, watch out for the staircases, they like to change." The prefect said as one moved above their heads. It had seemed like a short walk because there had been so much to look at. The walls were covered in moving portraits and all of them had different stories to tell. The moving staircases served as a source of wonder for one of their new housemates. He was called Matthew Cooper and he was a Muggle-Born. They learnt this at the feast after they noticed that he'd been dining alone and had come to join him. He seemed quite a nervous boy but he was very nice and the boys had warmed to him. They decided they certainly wouldn't bear to see him alone.

"The password is Quadpot" the prefect said as the portrait swung open revealing the Gryffindor Common Room, "The password is changed about once a month to keep us secure. Once upon a time a boy wrote the passwords down and lost them. The Common Room was in chaos."

The first years flooded in and were informed that girl's dormitories were up the right stairway and boy's dormitories were up the left stairway. Also, the prefect mentioned that first years were on the first floor of the dormitories before leaving them. Immediately the boys climbed upstairs to their dormitory. The dormitory had five four-poster beds inside and a trunk had been placed on each one.

"Mine is this one." Albus said as he saw his initials _ASP _engraved on the trunk. The other boys scattered in search of their beds.

"Found mine." Sean was first to succeed. This was probably because his trunk had a Gryffindor scarf poking out the side. Slowly, the others discovered their beds. It took longer than it probably should have and Sean joked that they would make bad Ravenclaws. However, once they'd found them, Scorpius was next to Albus and Matthew was to sleep alongside Lorcan whilst Sean's bed was turned vertically and was at the end of the room.

"I'm going to sleep" Albus said, "I don't want to be tired for our first day and I bet we get lost on the way to our first class."

"Yeah, we should catch some sleep." Sean agreed while the others nodded. They all crawled into their beds and were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. It had been a long, exhausting day of travel and sight-seeing.

**Thanks for reading, please review **


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: The plot is mine, Sean is half mine and the rest isn't. Sad times…

Thanks to those, who've been reading and reviewing.

xoxoChairGossipxoxo – I've definitely thought about them being like the Marauders, in fact that's where the whole thing began. I hope you like the mischief, even if it's not them being mischievous yet. I'll update as often as the ink spills on the pad. =)

Many thanks to my Beta – **aimz666**

**-New Footprints on Old Parchment-**

**Chapter 3 – Peeves' Prank and Exploding Quaffles**

"Maybe – I think we took a wrong turn"

"No, no. It's this way"

"I thought it was that way."

"Maybe we should turn back?"

"We're lost."

"No we're-"

"Face it, we're lost" Lorcan finalised. The four boys had been wandering the corridors for some time now, searching for their History of Magic classroom. Sean had said he knew the way so the boys followed him. Slowly, they'd all lost confidence in Sean as they had sauntered deeper and deeper into the castle's empty passages.

"Hello there, are you lost?" a mischievous-looking ghost appeared, "I'm always ready to lend a hand. Where do you need to be?" – All four boys spun around to see the speaker. They'd expected a person but it was only a ghost. They hadn't seen another student for about twelve long corridors now.

"Umm… Yes." Scorpius admitted, "We're trying to find our History of Magic class."

"It's Classroom 4F with Professor Flinch-Fletchley" Lorcan said after checking his timetable. They'd received their timetables when they were laid out with their trunks last night. The ghost appeared taken aback.

"How did you get this far away?" the ghost asked, "Follow me."

"Sean led the way" Albus, Scorpius and Lorcan all replied giving Sean a look a friendly disgust. Sean shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't his fault and they all turned to follow the ghost. Albus did so less willingly. He had a bad feeling that the ghost wasn't being as helpful as he made out. The ghost led them up four sets of stairs to the fourth floor. However, these were up small staircases not the moving staircases. The fact that the ghost avoided corridors with students or staff in made Albus less confident that the ghost was at all trust-worthy. They'd been following him for about twenty minutes now, which was more time than it had taken them to get lost in the first place.

"How far is the classroom because our class is beginning in five minutes?" Albus quizzed.

"Not far" the ghost replied without turning round or making eye contact. In fact, he sniggered to himself.

"What are you called?" Albus asked sternly remembering something his father had told him.

"Peeves"

"Oh no" Albus gasped.

"What?" Scorpius asked quickly and quietly out of the ghost's earshot.

"He's not showing us the way. He's the ghost that pulls pranks on people." Albus explained.

"Clever boy, you're going to be half an hour late and that's if you don't get lost again." Peeves laughed and glided off down the hall. The four boys stood there rooted to the spot. How could they be half an hour late for their first class? They would definitely get in trouble for this.

The four boys were now stood outside their History of Magic classroom door. None of them wanted to go in first nor did they want to not go in at all. They took a vote. Sean voted for Lorcan but Sean got three votes because he'd got them lost in the first place. He sighed and knocked on the door before entering.

"Would you care to explain why you are twenty minutes late for your first class?" the Professor asked after acknowledging their entrance. He appeared rather shocked that four first years would appear this late to their first class even if it was only History of Magic. Sean didn't want to explain that he'd got them lost and that he'd happily followed a ghost for twenty minutes without questioning him.

"We got lost." Sean replied simply.

"I could understand five minutes boys but twenty?" Professor Flinch-Fletchley paused, "It's not acceptable. See me at the end to arrange a detention. I don't want to have to do this but this is unacceptable. Take your seats."

"Yes Sir" Sean said. The other boys had not wanted to argue and accepted the detention. They filled in the front row solemnly, which had been left vacant by their housemates, and took out their writing equipment.

"Today, we had been covering Emeric the Evil. You should take comprehensive notes and ask questions if you have any." Professor Flinch-Fletchley summarised the lesson's progress for the boys' sake. They got their quills and parchment out like their housemates had and started scribbling down what the Professor said.

'_Emeric the Evil was a short-lived, dark wizard born in the Middle Ages. He was once the master of the Elder Wand (15'', Elder, Thestral Tail Core) and, with it, he terrorised the south of England in the early Middle Ages. He died during a duel with Egbert the Egregious.'_

"Who can tell me another master of the Elder Wand?" the Professor asked.

"Albus Dumbledore" a girl answered.

"Harry Potter" Kate answered.

"Draco Malfoy" Rose Weasley answered. Scorpius seemed startled by this and obviously hadn't known. Lorcan poked his hand up.

"Gellert Grindelwald"

"Ah, you see. Grindelwald was not a master of the Elder Wand. He was once the owner for a very short period of time after stealing from Gregorovitch's wandmaker's workshop. However, Gregorovitch became the master after casting a stunning spell on Grindelwald. However, this is controversial." The Professor corrected.

"Can anyone explain to me the difference between an owner and a master?" Professor Flinch-Fletchley continued.

"A master is someone with the wands allegiance. They would gain the wands allegiance by defeating the current master. This defeat can simply be disarming the master or can be as far as killing the master." Rose answered, "An owner doesn't have the wands allegiance but has possession of the wand."

"Very good, 5 points to Gryffindor." The Professor smiled. At this point the class except Rose, who was clearly enjoying knowing the answers to every question, had zoned out. The boys were glad that they had this first class on a Monday – it would be good to catch up on any lost sleep they hadn't got over the weekend. When the class had given up all hope that the class would ever end, Professor Flinch-Fletchley dismissed all of them but Lorcan, Albus, Scorpius and Sean.

"You detention will be at 6:00pm tomorrow evening. It will last for half an hour and you will spend it catching up on your missed work." He told them in a disappointed tone. The boys nodded and walked out. They didn't want to be late for their second class; Transfiguration.

Transfiguration was a subject that all four boys were looking forward to. For Scorpius, however, there was a problem. Transfiguration was taught by his father. His father, who had flown to Hogwarts this morning, had always been good at Transfiguration and was hoping that Scorpius would inherit that ability too. Scorpius was worried that he wouldn't be any good at it. They got to the classroom on time. However, that might have been because they had the rest of their housemates to tail. They had Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs today and no one thought that would be too bad. Anyhow, the Hufflepuffs did have a reputation for being push-overs. The class filled up firstly with the Gryffindors followed by the Hufflepuffs who were buzzing about their previous class. They had had Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Finnigan. Some of what the Gryffindors were hearing made the boys think they were in for some good lessons this year.

"Welcome to Hogwarts and welcome to Transfiguration. Transfiguration is a difficult branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object's molecular structure. It requires a lot of practice and a well-organised mind." Professor Malfoy introduced the long-awaited subject to the first years, "You will only advance in this subject if you are willing to put in an effort and concentrate for the full hour that I have to help you each lesson. This year, I will introduce you to the subject and we will start by transforming matches into needles."

The class hung on his every word. Transfiguration was a class that most first years looked forward to but often would lose interest when they discover that they're useless at it.

"Take out your quills and parchment. I'm going to give you a few notes about Transfiguration and then we can give the matches a go." Professor Malfoy said.

'_Currently, Transfiguration is split into four branches. They are, in ascending order of difficulty; Transformation, Vanishment, Conjuration and Untransfiguration. Transformation refers to any form of Transfiguration that deforms or alters the target in any way. It is split into three sub-types; Human Transfiguration, Switching and Trans-Species Transformations.'_

"Can anyone tell me a natural Human Transfiguration?" the Professor asked.

"Werewolves" a Hufflepuff answered.

"Yes – this is unwilling transformation which occurs on the full moon."

"Animagi" Albus answered correctly.

"Metamorphmagus" Rose replied correctly.

"Very good" Professor Malfoy congratulated the class, "Let's continue with the notes."

'_Human Transfiguration refers to any transfiguration where the target or end-product is a human being, for example; Animagi, Werewolves or Metamorphmagi. Switching is when a characteristic of one object is switched to another. Trans-Species Transformations is a term used for transformation magic where one species is transfigured into another. It includes Cross-Species Switches.'_

"For 5 house points, who can tell me what a Cross-Species Switch would be?" he asked.

"A Switching spell where the aim is to transfigure a feature of one species to another." Rose's hand had been in the air almost immediately.

"Brilliant, 5 points to Gryffindor." Their Professor appeared impressed now. A few students scribbled Rose's answer down.

'_Vanishment is the art of causing an object to Vanish; to go into non-being. There is only one incantation to make objects Vanish. Conjuration is the art of bringing things into being and hence the opposite of Vanishment. Something that is brought into being will not last forever (will not remain in being). Untransfiguration is the art of reversing a previous transfiguration (and is therefore considered a counter-spell as well as a transfiguration).'_

"That is the notes completed for a little while. Now I'm going to give each of you two matches for you to attempt the spell on. This is the wand movement you should use and the incantation is _Acus Exaequet_." Professor Malfoy pronounced the incantation clearly, "Remember focus, concentrate and say the spell clearly." – Then, he came round giving each student two matches.

Sean threw himself straight into it saying the incantation clearly enough and pretty loud. Albus, who had been watching carefully, saw that nothing happened to his match.

"Impressive" Albus smirked. Sean gave him a look of playful hatred and continued trying to transfigure his match into a needle. A couple of others had attempted the transfiguration now with little success. One Hufflepuff had managed to make her match slightly pointed but was still as thick as a match. Scorpius was the second of the four boys to try the spell. He had some success and managed to make the match a needle shape with a blunt red end. Next Lorcan tried inspired by Scorpius' success. He had no success other than that the match gained a shimmer to it. Albus was last in the class to attempt the spell. He had seen everyone's failures and had an idea what he should do. First, he cleared his mind tried to organise it. Then he focused on the properties of a needle; sharp, pointed, thin and silver.

"_Acus Exaequet_" Albus proclaimed clearly with the correct wand movement. The match turned pointed and shiny but was still wood and still had a red end. This was the best effort of the class so far.

"Ok, that was good for a first attempt. Now wait until I come around to you and then try the spell on the second match." Professor Malfoy explained and started at the back of the class. The class listened in on people's attempts soaking up every piece of advice he gave them. He appeared impressed with Rose's attempt and the attempt of a Hufflepuff boy. It was Lorcan's turn. It wasn't very impressive.

"You'll have to practice this spell before next lesson. Remember focus, clear your mind; focus on the end-product and its properties. Then do the correct wand movement and clearly state the correct incantation." Their Professor encouraged Lorcan before continuing to see Sean's next attempt.

"Not bad. Give it some practice and read what the textbook has to offer on this spell." He told Sean and moved on to Scorpius. Scorpius' match did nothing – he obviously didn't perform well under pressure.

"Give it time and practice often before next lesson. It'll come." He said as he moved on to see Albus attempt the spell. When Albus tried the spell for the second time, the match didn't change shape at all. Instead, it turned silver and shiny.

"What were you concentrating on?"

"I wanted to turn the right colour this time Sir." Albus explained.

"Don't focus on the colour too much. Think about the properties of the end-product and the colour will change with practice." He said and, once he had finished seeing everyone's attempts, walked back to the front of the class.

"Your homework is to practice the spell. I'll give everyone a box of twenty matches to attempt the spell once on each. Label each match with which attempt it was and bring them all back to class next time for me to see." Professor Malfoy dismissed them and stood at the back of the class. As we exited the class, we were handed the matches as he'd said. They had a half-hour break now before Potions and Herbology.

"Should we just go and sit in the Common Room?" Lorcan suggested.

"Yeah, I think we should drop off our used parchments too." Scorpius added. When the others agreed, they started on their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. They found it with surprising ease and didn't get lost. They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and told her the password; _Quodpot_.

Once sitting in the warmth of the Gryffindor Common Room, Albus asked, "Why's the password Quodpot? I mean, what is Quodpot?"

"It's a really popular sport in the United States." Sean jumped in, "Two teams of eleven plays with a ball called the Quod. Interesting thing about the Quod is that it explodes. For a team to score, they have to get the Quod safety in a pot that has Quodpot Solution, which stops it exploding, before it explodes. If the Quod explodes, the player with it in their possession has to leave the field of play."

"Sounds fun to have the Quaffle explode in your face." Scorpius remarked sarcastically. Albus grinned.

"I played it once or twice." Sean added, "It's not too bad but kind of scary at first. Oh, and it's not a Quaffle, it's a Quod." – He smirked.

Their conversation quickly changed to Quidditch being all of the boy's favourite sport and Sean's passion. However, they let themselves babble on for so long they were almost late for Potions.

"Umm guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we have five minutes to find our Potion class." Albus said. Suddenly the boys leapt into action taking their used parchment to their dorm and hurrying out of the Common Room. They sprinted down the moving staircases managing to avoid any of them moving them where they didn't want to be. They reached the dungeons with seconds to spare and burst into their class seconds late.

"Ok everyone settle down, take your seats." Horace Slughorn, the Potions Professor at Hogwarts, addressed the class. They discovered they had Potions with the Slytherins. Scorpius wasn't going to let this get him down but Sean had already lost all hope that this would be interesting. Slughorn was getting on a bit now and probably shouldn't still be teaching at the school. There had been many rumours in previous years that he'd done a Professor Binns and left his body behind. All of these were found to untrue when he walked into his next class alive – this was to some student's disappointment. Everyone took a seat in pairs; Lorcan sat with Sean whilst Scorpius and Albus sat on the bench next to them. The established hum of excitement died down before Slughorn spoke again.

"Welcome to Potions. Potions are used to create various effects on the drinker. They can be used as medicine or a lethal poison, enhance a person's strength or resistance to flames." Slughorn began, "This year a few of the things we will look at are: brewing a potion to cure boils, the Wiggenweld Potion and learning the twelve uses of dragon blood." – Some of the students appeared excited at Slughorns information. Scorpius hung on every word the Potions Master said as if he were speaking gold. Albus listened intently whilst Sean didn't appear the least bit interested. Lorcan was willing to give it a go but this hadn't been one of the classes he had been looking forward to.

"We will start by noting down some simple definitions" Slughorn said. He gave the class definitions of some simple words specific to Potions and the class noted them down on a spare bit of parchment. Sean couldn't really care less and just scribbled down the vague idea for each word but the rest of the class made their parchment look like artwork. The words he'd given them were brew, concoction, draught, elixir, philtre, poison and tincture. After this he told the class to dig out their textbooks; _Magical Drafts and Potions_. They were told to find the ingredients listed for a cure for boils; fresh nettles, six snake fangs, four horned slugs and two porcupine quills.

"Grab another piece of parchment and title it; _Cure for Boils_." Slughorn instructed, "Note down the ingredients and leave space in between each ingredient to list their magical properties." – They did as so. Later, they found out that they had to fill in this space for their homework. Scorpius was disappointed when the class was dismissed because he loved the lesson and he wasn't excited for Herbology. He would much rather have a double period of Potions.

Herbology had been pretty uneventful as they'd imagined. It had pretty much been a welcoming lesson, explaining what Herbology was and what this year had in store for them; learning how to care for numerous plants and fungi, Devils-Snare, Dittany and the Fire-Making Charm (_Inciendo_). Lorcan discovered that he didn't think Herbology would be too bad. The others, as much as they didn't want to admit it, thought it would be a nightmare for the rest of the year. The Professor; Neville Longbottom, had put the class at ease and the class had warmed to him but he knew Herbology wouldn't be everyone's favourite subject and didn't want to force it upon them.

When he dismissed them, Sean sighed in relief – he'd ever been so happy to leave a class – but Lorcan wished they had gotten straight into the learning. Albus and Scorpius didn't have strong opinions other than that they were hungry. They couldn't wait to get into the Great Hall and eat as much as they physically could.

**Thanks for reading, please review =)**


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